The advent of YouTube has brought with it a revolution in viewing entertainment. You could call it a game changer in the way it has democratised video distribution or the way it has placed the means to create films, programs and shows right into the hands of the average account-holder.

But as with anything, YouTube, and the entire art of online video distribution for that matter, holds its own sets of rules and its own lists of do’s and don’ts. To make it in the online video arena you first have to understand the audience as well as understand the best way to harness this media outlet’s enormous potential.

Erik Beck who’s brainchild Indy Mogul is one of the most watched film shows on the internet, will be coming from the States to tour Australia and visiting Sydney on the 1^st of September at the Museum of Sydney as part of a series of events by Portable and sponsored by The Creative Industries Innovation Centre (CIIC).

Drawing from his experience and success in online video, he will be delivering talks, presentations and workshops on super-distribution and how to create content for a massive online audience.

This is a rare opportunity to learn from the best. If you have any interest in creating content for an online audience, this is your chance to find out how to do it successfully. Spots are limited and running out, so you’ll want to register fast!

Next New Networks which features Beck’s Indy Mogul is an online video network which is broad and varied in it’s programming and has over 1 billion viewers.

Where: Museum of Sydney, Corner of Bridge and Phillips Street

When: 1^st September 2010, 6pm start

Cost: $48 full price, $40 concession

Register Here

It began with an eager year 4 class gathered in a school hall and Jennie outlining the expectations for the day ahead. ‘You’re going to be taking risks’, she told the class, ‘physical risks and mental risks’.

After a warm up game of ‘firecracker’ where the kids passed an imaginary firecracker around in a circle as fast as they could, they were ready to get down to business.

The first game required an isle formation with a row of kids on either side sticking their arms out into the middle, and one brave volunteer. When she explained the rules, we began to see what she meant by physical risks!

The game was to have the volunteer bolt down the isle as fast as they could while the kids forming the isle would stick their arms down to let the runner past. Jennie did it first to demonstrate. ‘I trust you will not coathanger me’, she said before running down the isle and emerging from the other side, unharmed.

It was an exercise in trust and reliability. Trust in part of the volunteer who had to trust in their schoolmates to throw their arms down in time, and reliability in part of the classmates who had to make sure they could be counted on to grant passage to the running volunteer.

‘Under no circumstances are you to give anyone a reason not to trust you ‘, Jennie cautioned. One by one, everybody had a turn in running the gauntlet.

The second game required the kids to break up into groups. The idea was that Wendy would call out an item and the kids had to make a formation to resemble it. The catch was that there was no verbal communication allowed.

‘Knife and Fork’, ‘Harbour Bridge’, ‘Old pair of shoes’, Wendy called, and the kids moved into a corresponding formation. It was an exercise in communication and teamwork where kids had to work toward the same agenda, notice what was happening around them and act accordingly.

It was impressive when Wendy gathered the whole class together to form the letter ‘g’ and the kids managed to shape themselves into a very accurate representation in a short space of time without any talking.

‘Can we do a word now?’ one of the kids cheekily asked.

The fourth game and the last for Vibewire’s visit was a game that developed creative ingenuity and team encouragement. In their teams, the kids were to transport one team member from one end of the hall to the other. The catch was that they were not allowed to simply lift him or her and carry them across.

Teams presented their ideas and performed their method to the rest of the class while non-participants were to spur them on with encouraging chants. Everyone took to this task with great relish.

A variety of methods were demonstrated. Highlights included a ‘human raft’ approach where the transportee lay across the backs of his teammates while they slid across the hall, as well as a clever ‘log over log’ technique where the kids formed a bridge that moved forward in a repeated cycle where the member at the back ran to the front of the bridge, and so on.

After the game was over, Jennie brought the class together for an evaluation.

‘What do you think made things work?’ she asked them.

Trust, cooperation, not fighting, teamwork and listening to each other were amongst the suggestions offered up by the kids. The games run by Babushka Productions were designed to develop these essential skills and highlight their importance for their lives.

Jennie and Wendy used this workshop to help raise a generation of well-equipped youth to find their places in the world. It’s an early step to see a generation of conscientious youth who are ready to make a difference.

To find out more or support the work that Babushka Productions does, visit their website.

Answer: Nothing.

The Art-House Co-op, an American project-based organisation is running The Sketchbook Project, a unique collaborative art project that invites anyone to participate. Upon your registration and for a fee of US $20, you will be sent a blank moleskin sketchbook for you to fill out according to a theme (which you pick in the registration process).

You have until a deadline of January the 15^th, 2011 to mail the book back, where it will tour with the entire collection to be displayed in art galleries across the United States including the Austin Museum of Art in Texas, the Minna Gallery in San Francisco, the Brooklyn Art Library in New York and others. Select books will also be digitized for an online website.

Each book features a unique barcode which allows you to track your sketchbook wherever it goes. You can even choose to have a text or email notification sent to you for each time your book is viewed!

Sketchbook themes this year range from the quirky to the profound including ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’, ‘Dirigibles and Submersibles’, ‘Great Hopes and Massive Failures’, ‘Make Mine a Double’ and plenty more to choose from.

This is an opportunity to participate in a large-scale community art project, and of course to have your work displayed in international galleries. Who knows? You might even get ‘discovered’.

In any case, you can always bring up in conversation that your art is touring in New York and San Francisco whilst you flick your hair back and take another sip of your cocktail.

The project itself is in its third year in operation and has gathered media attention from organisations such as CNN and PBS.

Registration deadline is October the 31^st. To find out more or register, visit the website.